‘Solid plan to transform rural areas’

Samuel Kadungure in RUSAPE

THE Second Republic has a solid plan to transform rural communities over the next five years, a development that will lift millions of Zimbabweans out of poverty, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere has said.

He was addressing party supporters yesterday in his home area of Dewedzo (Ward 13), Makoni West, where he thanked voters for electing President Mnangagwa and retaining him as their legislator.

He also outlined plans for the constituency for the next five years.

“We are poised for the acceleration of transformative development in rural areas under the leadership of President Mnangagwa,” said Minister Muswere.

“For the last five years, we received unwavering support to spearhead the Pfumvudza programme, computerisation of rural schools, establish a number of mobile network base stations and development of the road network.

“We have a solid plan in place for the next five years that includes the Presidential Borehole Programme, where we are drilling a borehole in each village.

“The traditional leadership has already embraced this as it will ensure access to clean water for our communities.

“We have also pooled our resources and were able to re-gravel and rehabilitate the entire road network in the constituency.

“We have a number of schools, clinics and weir dams to support food security and irrigation schemes being supported by the President.”

Development programmes, he said, will be scaled up.

“We also revived the tillage programme throughout the constituency and we are grateful to the President for that.

“In line with the mantra of leaving no one and no place behind, we are going to carry on from where we had left and ensure that the constituency undergoes transformative development in the next five years.”

Minister Muswere attributed the ruling party’s emphatic victory in the constituency to the transformative development spearheaded by President Mnangagwa.

“I am back home to thank the people for giving ZANU PF a landslide victory in Makoni West on August 23,” added Minister Muswere.

“They made sure President Mnangagwa won resoundingly across all the nine wards in the constituency. I also won in all the wards and we also won all the nine local authority seats, which is unprecedented.

“We even snatched council seats that were under the opposition.”

Headman Mr Charehwa Nedewedzo said his area had undergone massive transformation.

“All Presidential schemes are progressing well due to his (Minister Muswere) good leadership and organisational skills,” he said.

“The Presidential borehole programme is a resounding success and a game changer in my area, and we hope it will cover all the areas.

“The roads have been attended to, and we haven’t seen such kind of road rehabilitation over a long time. Virtually, all roads in the constituency are now trafficable.”

He said several schools had been electrified and computerised.

“The electrification of schools will enable rural schools to attract teachers and also introduce practical and more science subjects. All our schools have received computers and our children are now at par with their urban counterparts. In the next five years, we expect Government to address issues of teacher accommodation in schools as most houses are now in bad shape due to old age.”